In the fields of high technology, heavy industrial and chemical processing, there exist a multitude of material handling problems. At times, some of these problems become so severe that they can shut down manufacturing components or entire units while the material handling units are cleaned. One such problem involves tank cleaning in a wide range of industries, such as pulp and paper industries, chemical industries, mining and refinery industries and steel industries. These problems exist when a liquid in a holding tank can no longer dissolve further solids, and the solids fall out or are precipitated and load the bottom of a holding or treating tank. Such fallout, in time, reduces tank capacity, stopping pumps, and, in some instances, locking in valuable capital cost of material. Many times, this problem develops before management is aware of the problem and tons of solids have been precipitated. Some of these tanks may be 40 feet high by 100 feet in diameter. This calls for very aggressive agitation to place the material in solution, or suspension, so as to remove the materials from the tank.
The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are representative of prior art tank stirring systems: 4,746,221, Okumura et al; 4,329,069, Graham; 3,782,697, Karg; and 1,485,205, Sturtevant.